Blue Dog Bark Backed by Insurers

There’s a particular breed of lawmaker on Capitol Hill that is pushing hard against a public health care plan, much to the delight of two seriously moneyed special interest groups–insurers and pharmaceuticals. They’re the Blue Dogs: moderate, vocal and funded in part by the industries trying to protect their bottom line.

The typical member* of the Blue Dog caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives has received $10,300 more from insurers than the typical non-Blue Dog Democrat in the House (including health and accident insurers, HMOs and other health services) and only $3,625 less than the typical House Republican. Earlier this month, the Blue Dogs sent a letter to House leadership arguing that a public option should be created “only if insurance market reforms and increased competition don’t lower costs on their own,” according to the Politico.

The support for Blue Dogs from health care professionals is even more evident. Health pros are among the top 20 industry donors to 38 Blue Dogs since 1989 and are the No. 1 donor for five of them. Health pros have also given the typical Blue Dog $47,550 more than the typical non-Blue Dog Democrat in the House. This month the American Medical Association, which lobbies on behalf of doctors, also came out against a public health insurance plan. The AMA is among the top 20 contributors to 10 Blue Dogs since 1989.

Insurance and pharmaceutical companies fear that a public health option would allow the government to control costs and steal business. And with the Blue Dogs leading the charge against the government-funded plan, the industries might just get their way. Without any support from the GOP, two-thirds of the coalition’s members, who mostly represent Southern and Midwestern states, would have to get behind the House legislation, according to Kaiser Health News.

The health sector overall has given $62,650 more to the typical Blue Dog Democrat than to the typical non-Blue Dog Dem since 1989, while hospitals and nursing homes also favor them, giving $5,680 and $5,550 more, respectively. The typical House Republican, however, has collected more than the typical Democrat–Blue Dog or not–from insurers, health professionals and the health sector overall.

When it comes to the pharmaceutical and health products industry, the typical Blue Dog has collected more than the typical non-Blue Dog Dem, but on average, the non-Blue Dog Democrats have brought in more from the companies.

*The term “typical” refers to the median, which we are using for comparison in part because of the handful of lawmakers in leadership who have raised large amounts of money, skewing the mean.

Here’s a list of the members of the Blue Dog Coalition and the total they’ve received to their leadership PAC and candidate committees from the employees and PACs of various health-related industries and the health sector overall since 1989:

Media Contact

Viveca Novak
(202) 354-0111
press@crp.org

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